Deputy accidentaly shoots himself in leg

A county deputy sheriff accidentally shot himself in the leg while returning his service pistol to its holster.

A Berks County deputy sheriff accidentally shot himself in the leg late Monday afternoon while returning his service pistol to its holster.

The deputy was treated in the emergency department at Reading Hospital and was expected to be released Monday night or early Tuesday.

Sheriff Eric J. Weaknecht said the wound was not serious and that the deputy was in good condition.

“It was a graze wound to his leg,” Weaknecht said. “He apologized a dozen times and told me he’d be back at work Tuesday.” Weaknecht said the deputy, whom he did not identify, had just brought prisoners into the cellblock in the basement of the county courthouse at about 5 p.m. Deputies are not allowed to carry guns into the cellblock for safety reasons, so they are placed in a cabinet of lock boxes at the entrance to the cellblock.

“While putting his weapon back in its holster it went off and he suffered a graze wound to his leg,” Weaknecht said.

Immediately after the gunshot rang out, deputies began treating the injured deputy.

“They used their tactical medical equipment and training, got him into a car and drove him over to the hospital,” Weaknecht said. “The deputies did a good job responding to this situation.”

It was the second time in less than five months that a deputy was injured by an accidental discharge of a service weapon.

On March 27, Capt. Doris Natal was struck in the abdomen by a bullet that discharged from her service weapon when she accidentally dropped it on the floor in the cellblock area. She also was not seriously injured.

After that incident, Weaknecht said deputies were given additional firearms safety training and they were also were given advanced training in tactical medical response.

The shooting prompted a massive response from deputies, county detectives federal drug agents and city police. Reed Street was clogged with Reading police vehicles. Police Chief Andres Dominguez Jr., patrolmen and plainclothes narcotics detectives raced to the courthouse sally port to get access to the cellblock.

As city police streamed out of the underground parking garage beneath the county services center they reported that the detectives with District Attorney John T. Adams’ office would be handling the shooting investigation.